A Magical Partnership
Feature extracted from the Centre of Excellence in Frailty-Informed Care News - Issue #5 - June 2023
Perley Health Centre of Excellence in Frailty-Informed Care™ has partnered with the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) on a series of projects that promise to improve the care of people living with dementia and build Perley Health's capacity to implement innovations in care.
The latest project involves an interactive and innovative technology called Tovertafel (Magic Table), which is designed to engage and stimulate people living with dementia. Equipped with sensors and projectors, the technology displays images on a table and responds when users touch the images, enabling a variety of fun and stimulating games and activities. Under the partnership, a Magic Table is installed in the Rideau Veterans Residence, where Veteran residents living with dementia participate in activities alongside caregivers.
CABHI is a solution accelerator focused on driving innovation in the aging and brain health sector. Since its establishment in 2015, CABHI has attracted total funding of more than $124 million from the private, public and non-profit sectors—the largest investment in aging and brain health in Canadian history and one of the largest in the world.
“Innovators around the globe are developing more and more technologies that aim to improve brain health and aging,” says Shusmita Rashid, CABHI's Director of Knowledge Mobilization and Strategic Relations. “Unfortunately, many care organizations in Canada struggle to access the funding, training and technical support they need to implement and validate these technologies.”
To help bridge the gap, CABHI launched the Discover + Adopt (D+A) Program last year. Perley Health is among six organizations in the first D+A cohort. Along with dedicated funding for staff and resources, cohort members receive coaching and implementation support.
Preliminary studies indicate that Magic Table helps people living with dementia to overcome apathy and decrease restlessness. Other benefits include stronger relationships between caregivers and residents, and increased job satisfaction among care professionals.
To help mobilize knowledge generated through its programs, CABHI hosts an annual summit. The 2023 edition attracted more than 1,350 registrants from 30+ countries.
“Part of what makes the D+A program unique is its long-term implementation support,” says Centre of Excellence Director, Danielle Sinden, who presented at the CABHI Summit. “We look forward to measuring and sharing the impacts of Magic Table, and to collaborating further with CABHI.”
Previous Perley Health projects conducted in partnership with CABHI include the Active Seniors website, along with the use of virtual reality to engage residents living with dementia. The Centre of Excellence is studying various aspects of the implementation of Magic Table at Perley Health, including its impacts on residents and staff.
“I am confident that the project will improve Perley Health's capacity to adopt and validate future innovations,” says Sinden. “And by sharing what we learn about both Magic Table and its implementation, we can improve the quality of care delivered elsewhere.”
Highlights and updates since original publication
- Implemented one Magic Table in each of the buildings at Perley Health (4 in total)
- Held 3 demo days for staff, residents, caregivers, and volunteers to come out and try the technology (165 people attended).
- Engaged 23 project champions and 49 super-users to encourage the use of the technology on the units.
- Provided training sessions for staff, residents, caregivers, and volunteers.
- 128 pre-surveys and 96 post-surveys were completed by staff on the perceived facilitators and barriers of the Magic Table implementation. This information was used to inform the implementation of the Magic Table and ongoing improvements to the implementation/use of the technology.
- Preliminary results from the pre-survey suggest that the Magic Table is an easy to use technology with positive outcomes anticipated by staff from its use. Staff perceived that the Magic Table would benefit resident's quality of life and enable cognitive stimulation.
- Observations of residents (29) using the Magic Table and focus groups (8 groups, 37 participants) with staff, caregivers, and volunteers were also conducted to understand the impacts and benefits of the technology for residents. Preliminary results of the observations suggest that residents felt pleasure and tranquility when interacting with the Magic Table (i.e., observed as smiling, laughter, etc.)
- Total of 449 staff, residents, caregivers, and volunteers engaged throughout all implementation activities
- Perley Health Centre of Excellence in Frailty-informed Care™ presented information at Canadian Association on Gerontology conference in October, 2024
View the Centre of Excellence News archives for more great impact stories.
Perley Health Centre of Excellence in Frailty-Informed Care™ has partnered with the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) on a series of projects that promise to improve the care of people living with dementia and build Perley Health's capacity to implement innovations in care. Perley Health staff memeber joins Senior Living apartment tenant Marcel Lemay, (Petty Officer, ret'd), to unlock the secrets of the Magic Table.